Follow The Stars
by Pohmii
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia is a girl with a rough past, who loves astronomy, and is... the only wizard in the world? Her best friend is the only one who knows her secret. But will it last long once a mysterious stranger threatens to reveal her identity? [Gajeel x Lucy•GaLu] [AU] (REWRITE)
1. Friends? Friends

_Hello babes! As some of you know, this is a rewrite just like some other stories that will be posted up. To the ones who just came here or only know about this account, I have another that use to be my main account a loooong time ago. It's called SugoiLucy and I plan to delete it a while after I post these rewrites. Without further a-do, please enjoy another GaLu fanfic, but in an AU._

 ** _I do not own Fairy Tail._**

* * *

 **Friends? Friends.**

* * *

Light bounced off of golden locks that peeked out of the wrinkled blankets and covers. Tangled from a whole night of shifting through her sleep, it fell over the girl's face. As she inhaled and exhaled, the strands of hair that were draped in front of her mouth went with the movement of her breathing. Anyone can say that she was sleeping like a baby if they saw her at this moment. Her expression was peaceful, a small smile dancing on her face due to whatever she was dreaming.

However, this did not last long. A continuous ringing blared throughout the room and in her sleep, the blonde girl's face scrunched up into a scowl. She reluctantly opened her eyes as she groggily pushed herself up so that she now sat on her bed. The blankets that she was curled in fell onto her lap, revealing a silky white nightgown. Brushing away the hair that was in her face, she yawned before turning off the alarm on her phone.

She swung her feet over to the edge of the king-sized bed and stumbled into her bathroom. Through her disorientation she managed to turn the lights on and turn the water on for a hot shower. Her hands lifted her nightgown off of her body in one smooth motion and into the laundry bin with her undergarments.

It wasn't until she began combing out the tangles from her wet hair once she had dried herself off did her self-autopilot finally shut off. Now one question revolved through her mind. _What was happening today again?_

After brushing her teeth, she finally left the bathroom. Her bare shoulders shuddered from the cool air of her room hitting them. She waved off the steam that followed behind her as she walked over to her newly made bed. Laying on top of it was the answer to that one question pulsing through her brain. It was her school uniform. _That's right! Today is the first day of school. How could I forget?_

She dropped the towel that wrapped around her to quickly put on her undergarments before sliding on a dark grey skirt that reached her mid-thigh. Next came a short-sleeved, white collared shirt with a soft yellow sweater vest over it. Instead of wearing the white and blue striped tie, she wore a bow that was a dark pink with thin stripes of the same yellow of her vest.

To finish everything off, she pulled on knee-high socks and black flats. She skipped over to her mirror and her face lit up with a bright smile. She was happy, excited even to go to school. Admittedly, she was a little scared to go back, but she couldn't wait to learn and be like a normal teenager. She even hoped to be seen as one as well.

Quickly brushing her hair out one last time, she used a matching dark pink ribbon to tie a little side ponytail up. She nodded once in approval at her reflection before grabbing her black school bag. As she made her way to her door, she grabbed her cell phone from her night stand. The blonde looked once more around the room, smiling at how bare it was since the last time she looked at it like this. Ready to go, she left her room.

* * *

The girl forced a smile and greeted back the maids and butlers that passed by, bustling about. As she's getting closer and closer to the dining room, the more she's getting worried about how her school will treat her. Two years ago, she had been a freshman in Fairy Tail High and she thought everything would be great. She thought that she would make new friends and get a chance to hang out with them and maybe even have sleepovers together.

But... What she had gotten was the complete opposite.

The first couple of weeks were okay. Her classes were fine and easy to understand, some people glanced and whispered about her every now and then as well. The glancing and whispering she can understand since her father is the owner of one of the richest companies in Fiore. Though after those couple of weeks, all of her efforts to try to make at least one friend were sent down the toilet.

Rumors broke out about her. Horrible things that she has never done. Everyone that looked at her looked at her with eyes full of disgust. Anger. A select few even looked at her in pity. It hurt, it really did, but she tried her best to ignore it. She blocked out all of the negativity directed to her in favor of smiling. Smiling as if nothing was wrong. As if she didn't feel like she was dying inside. As if she wasn't wailing in pain and loneliness.

"Lucy."

She stiffened at the low voice of her father. She didn't even realize she had entered the dining room until he had spoke her name. His eyes bored into her from above the newspaper in his hands, eyes that she can never read through his stern expression. She hated those eyes and that expression... The same eyes that used to hold a joyful gleam, the same expression that used to hold the subtle hints of a smile.

"Yes, father?" The blonde responded in her own monotonous voice.

His eyes shifted back to the words on his newspaper, flipping a page, "The chauffeur is waiting for you. Eat and leave." The man rumbled out in an uncaring manner.

"Yes, father." She eyed the half-eaten omelette in front of her father. She shook her head to herself before making her way to the kitchen. She wasn't that hungry, so she'll just grab something small that she can eat on her way to school.

The moment she entered the kitchen, one of the chefs approached her with a bright smile. He was tall and scrawny with brown hair peaking out from beneath his chef's hat. It also seemed as if age is catching up to him by the looks of the few strands of grey hair and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. "Good morning, Miss Lucy. Is there anything you would like for breakfast?"

Lucy let out a giggle and allowed the first genuine smile for that day to crawl up to her face. "Toru, please just call me Lucy. I just came to get an apple, I don't feel all too hungry." She replied. Toru was a new chef of the Heartfilia Manor, and was a good one at that. He was hired after one had quit in favor of opening up his own restaurant in order to continue following his personal goals. Lucy herself was the one to convince him to do it, and if her father ever found out he would be even more furious than he had been after the news.

Ever since Toru was hired, he had been the most carefree around her out of all of the maids and butlers once he had realized that she was nothing like her father. He made jokes, always smiled, and at times when her father is too busy to join her for meals he would make goofy faces with her food. The other chefs of the manor disapprove of his behavior, but seeing the girl that they worked for for almost all her life happy was the only reason why they didn't voice out their complaints to Toru, or go as far as to report it to her father.

Toru nodded and went over to a counter to grab an apple. He came back after rinsing it off and handed it to her. His smile softened as she took a bite out of the apple, a drop of the juice rolling down to her chin that was quickly wiped away with the back of her hand. "Nervous?"

Big, brown eyes met with hazel. "Hm?"

"Y'know, going to school. Usually, you want to eat strawberry pancakes or waffles for breakfast. It's a mystery how you can fit all of that food in you." He chuckled.

She swallowed the mouthful of fruit and pouts, "Maybe a little..." She admitted albeit reluctantly.

"Ah, don't sweat it, kid! Knowing you, you'll get tons of friends!" Toru gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "Even I couldn't resist that smile of your's."

Lucy shrugged, "Maybe. Who knows?" _If only he knew..._

"Well, I shouldn't hold you off any longer. Oh, and make sure to tell me if there's any cute teachers there!"

The blonde giggled, shaking her head at his loud whispering. "Of course. See ya!" She left the kitchen and slipped back to the expression she had worn before she had left the dining room. She took another bite from her apple and didn't once acknowledge her father's presence as she walked by.

"Seeing you everyday is always in eyesore." Her father stated as if he was talking about the weather. Of course, this statement just had to be said when she was just about to leave the room, once again, to go outside. "At least I won't have to deal with your presence in my home anymore."

Lucy stayed still for a few more moments. She had heard comments like these all the time ever since her mother died. But this time she realized the pure hatred that was heard in his voice, and all of that hatred was directed at her. Swallowing down her tears, she bids her farewell, "Good bye, father." She really wanted to say something in response to his comments, something that matched his hatred. But she will never allow herself to become like him.

She rushed out and down the hallway, sniffling here and there with a quivering bottom lip. She may hate the changes he made to himself, but she will never stop loving him. Somewhere up in the stars her mother was doing the same thing, even if she hated the way he was treating Lucy. And she knew that somewhere up there, she was cheering her on. After all her secret working environment was passed down to her.

Lucy's mother. Layla Heartfilia. Anyone that has seen the both of them would say that they looked almost identical to each other. At the age of ten, she had witnessed her mother passing away peacefully in the manor. The days that followed were full of tears and sorrow for the Heartfilia Manor, a part of her life that she will never forget. It's been six years now and yet she still teared up at the thought of her deceased mother, naturally so. Lucy always looked up to her for guidance and advice at a young age, and would still do so if she were to still be alive.

Finishing up her apple, she had a passing by maid throw it out for her. She would have done it herself, but she didn't want to be late for school and have the chauffeur wait any longer for her. All the while doing so, she thought back to what her father said and felt stupid for almost forgetting that a small house by the school was bought for her, considering that she was the one who asked her father if she could live in one.

She had seen it herself and it was something that she was very comfortable living in for the school year. The town was quiet and peaceful, so it was the perfect atmosphere for her.

Lucy finally exited the mansion and jogged up to the awaiting chauffeur by the limbo, "Hey, instead of taking me directly to school, can you drop me off somewhere?"

* * *

The blonde was exceptionally lucky that no one in town had seen her get out of a limbo. She didn't want her first impression to be a rich girl trying to fit in. That can come later.

It took a lot of convincing with the chauffeur to drop her off by her new home that was only about half a mile away from school. Since the very beginning, she wanted to walk to school and now she gets that chance. She was rarely able to get out of the mansion just to go out and walk on a cool, sunny day. Lucy never really liked the cold, but the sun shining down on her and the lovely sight of the leaves on trees slowly changing into the fall colors make up for it.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket to signal that she had received a text message. As she continued walking, she pulled out her cellphone and flipped it open. She grinned when she realized who it's from. No matter how many messages or calls she got from him, it always made her feel giddy and beam uncontrollably.

 _'Where are you? -G'_

With a quick thumb, she pressed on the buttons to send her reply. _'I'm going to school, why? -L'_

 _'Just wondering... -G'_

She pouted at the message. Even through text she can tell that her best friend was up to something. You heard correctly, she has a best friend. Honestly, he was her only friend that was... well... human.

They've known each other for so long, that her mother was still alive when they had first met...

* * *

 _"P-Please don't hurt me! I-I don't want to hurt you!..." A young girl with short blonde hair yelled desperately as she took a step back, only to trap herself in a corner with three boys around her age trapping her with feral grins. Her bottom lip quivered as she looked down, "I-I don't want to h-hurt you..." She repeated weakly with fists that were clenched so tightly that her knuckles became white._

 _"Pfft- Do you guys hear that? She doesn't want to hurt us!" One of the boys told the other two, snickering. Being a head taller than her, he leaned down so they were face-to-face, "Come on, hit me. Punch, kick, whatever you want!" He taunted with a smirk._

 _She shook her head, "B-But-"_

 _"But what?" One of the others snapped, "'Cause your weak? You're just a girl, Heartfilia! You can't do anything!"_

 _"Guys, let's just beat her up already, this is getting boring!" The third one shouted as he took a step forward, "She has so much money, I bet she can bandage herself with it once we're finished." He sneered._

 _The girl whimpered and sank down onto the ground. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, burying her face into them._ Why does everyone hate me so much? _She thought with tears threatening to escape. All around her there are people who didn't like her or just hated her guts. She doesn't understand why they don't like her and tries everything she can to make a friend. Was it because that her mama and papa had lots of money? Was it because she's annoying? Or... Or was it because she existed? Did they not want her to exist anymore?_

 _"Hey, what the hell are ya doin'?!" A voice shouted not too far off._

 _The blonde peeked up from where her face was buried into her pale arms. The boys in front of her turned around to look at the one that had interrupted them with matching scowls. All she managed to see was a glimpse of stunning, ruby red eyes. Putting up a tough front, the third one that had spoken before said, "None of your business! You got a problem?"_

 _The mysterious newcomer took a step forward, "Yeah I got a problem. Why are you gonna hurt her? She did nothing!" He growled._

 _"She's annoying," He gave a cruel smile, "Always wanting to show off how rich she is. Coming to school in a limbo, having fancy foods for lunch, and always acting like a pretty little princess!"_

 _"It's not her fault that she's so damn rich." The one that held those beautiful red eyes said. The girl stiffened at this statement in surprise, "Do ya think she asked to be born rich? Do ya think she can help acting like a 'princess'? She has rich parents 'n fancy crap, who cares? Just leave her alone, she doesn't deserve this shit!" He growled fiercely._

 _The third boy burst out laughing at his speech while the other two looked unsettled by the glare that was being directed at all of them. "You two deal with him, I'll go deal with Heartfilia myself." He chuckled as he turned back to the blonde._

 _The two looked at each other before looking back at the newcomer and charging at him._

 _Brown eyes tried to see what's happening at the sound of hits being landed followed by grunts of pain, but legs blocked her view. Her head slowly lifts up so that she can see what type of expression was on her tormentor's face. She cringed at the sadistic grin on his face and felt more tears wanting to create a waterfall on her cheeks again._

 _What was she doing? Why was she just sitting there with a tail between her legs when there was someone trying to save her? He wasn't scared of hurting them, so why should she?_

 _Before she could even make a final decision, she forced her body to roll away from the leg aimed to kick her and stood back up on her feet. He cursed under his breath and made the mistake of attempting to punch her. The blonde ducked down before shooting her leg up and blurting out, "LUCY KICK!"_

 _He froze as stiff as a statue. His hands reached down to cup his nether regions with his mouth open in a silent scream. All the blood drained from his face as his whole frame tilted until he fell onto the concrete with a high-pitched squeak._

 _The blonde jumped back in surprise before looking over to the others. One had a cheek that was beginning to bruise and looked as if he was asleep, sprawled out on the ground, while the last one out of the three that was standing sported quite a few cuts and bruises. He paled at the sight of both of his friends out of commission before running away from the scene in order to not end up like them._

 _She sighed in relief and turned to thank the mysterious person that had saved her, but gasped at the sight of him sitting against the wall with more bruises and cuts out of all of them. She ran over to him and dropped onto her knees next to him, "Are you okay? You're hurt!"_

 _He glanced over at me and waved the question off, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."_

His eyes are prettier up close, _She noted. She took in the sight of his long, unkempt black hair and the clothes he wore. All they were was a black tank top, camouflage cargo shorts, and a pair of sneakers. On his evenly tan skin were a few small scars, and band-aids on both his arms and face. He looked like he was a couple of years older than her, "No you're not, you have boo-boos." She pointed at his face that sported a couple of bruises and a cut._

 _He snickered, "'Boo-boos'? What are ya, six?"_

 _"I'm seven." She pouted, crossing her arms. "I need to pay you back for what you did, so let me help you!"_

 _"If it'll get ya to shut up, then fine." He shrugged._

 _Ignoring the first part, she dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out a pink band-aid. She carefully pulled the wrapping off before reaching up to place it over the cut on his cheek with her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Once she had placed it on there to add onto the collection of band-aids, she grinned, "There! Good thing Mama always made sure I had band-aids with me."_

 _"Er... yeah." He lifted himself up to his feet somewhat shakily, "Anyway, I'll see ya around-"_

 _"Wait! Please don't leave!" The blonde shouted, startling him. She looked down the moment he looked at her again and began to fiddle with her fingers. "T-Thank you for saving me... And for what you said. Y-You're the only one who has ever said that and understands... Everyone thinks I try to show off, but I always try my best to be normal. I always try to make friends..." Droplets of tears splatter onto the concrete as if they were the first drops of water of an upcoming storm, "I-I've never really had a friend... N-Never ever a-and-"_

 _A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her up to her feet. She squeaked at the sudden action and was soon dragged out of the small alleyway by the school. "Hey, let go of me-"_

 _"I don't have friends either." He effectively cut her off again, his grip on her wrist tightening slightly but not enough to actually hurt her. "Everyone's scared of me..." He looked slightly over his shoulder at her, "Everyone other than you."_

 _The blonde looked at him in confusion, "Why would they be scared of you? You have pretty eyes and hair."_

 _This comment, for some odd reason, caused him to stop abruptly in his tracks. She nearly tripped over her feet and looked up at him in even more puzzlement, "Is there something wrong?"_

 _She couldn't tell what he was thinking at that moment. His continuous stare was making her just a little bit uncomfortable too. It took a while before he finally shook his head, "No... Nothin's wrong." Almost tripping again, he dragged her to wherever they were going. "Name's Gajeel by the way. Gajeel Redfox."_

 _"My name's Lucy Heartfilia. It's a pleasure to meet you." She said politely, "Where are we going, Gajeel?"_

 _"My place." He responded bluntly and glanced at her, "I'm gonna call you Bunny instead. You're just like one."_

 _"What?! No I'm not!"_

 _"Yeah, you are."_

 _"Am not!"_

 _"Are too!"_

 _"AM NOT!"_

 _"ARE TOO!"_

 _"_ HMPH! _" They looked away from each other with puffed out cheeks. During their little banter, Gajeel had slowed them down into a normal walking pace so that she walked beside him. Every now and then through their silence, they stole glances of each other to see if the other was still mad._

 _Lucy was the first out of the pair to gather the courage to speak up again after looking up at him, "Are we friends now?"_

 _He looked back down at her and shrugged, "I guess."_

* * *

Then everything went into place and to this day they still have stupid arguments, but not face-to-face sadly. When she was finished grade school, Gajeel had reluctantly told her that he and his father was moving for a long time. His father, Metallicana, had to be transferred to a different area so that he can continue working, which meant that Gajeel had to go with him.

It broke her heart and she cried for a whole entire night. He was her only friend and being separated from him for so long? The thought always sent a pang of pain throughout her entire being and she wished every night to the stars dancing in the night sky to see him again. Hearing his voice and sending messages was just not enough, and she knew it was the same for her best friend.

Looking at a picture of him through a phone screen isn't the same as seeing him in front of her. She wanted to see those blood red eyes that she could never stop staring at. She wanted to run her fingers through his ridiculously soft raven hair. She wanted to embrace him and feel his arms wrap around her to return it.

Lucy sighed at these thoughts that always manage to sneak up on her. But there was one other thought that always lingered with the others.

 _Where was he now?_


	2. Fairy Tail High? Fairy Tail High

**Sorry for not updating this after so long... I've been busy writing a new story and preparing other stories for the future. This chapter is a bit shorter than the first one, but I hope you enjoy it!**

 _ **I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

* * *

 **Fairy Tail High? Fairy Tail High.**

* * *

The neighborhood she was now living in was small and quiet. It was neither too crowded or have too little population. As she strolled down the sidewalk with her school bag hanging from her shoulder, she admired how peaceful it was around her in the morning. It was a nice change from the tense atmosphere she constantly got every time she sees her father. Now that she was living by herself, she won't have to face that every day anymore, and she was positive that he wouldn't bother visiting to 'check up on her'. Even the thought made her want to laugh.

Lucy gazed at the houses that lined the opposite side of the street. Even though it was a bit early, there were already people emerging out of their houses. Both men and women in work clothes were hopping into their cars, driving off to their workplace. Though, not everyone did this. More older people simply sat out on their porch, basking in the first rays of sunshine with a cup of coffee in hand. There were even others who were doing early lawn work such as tending the garden.

She smiled at all of the different morning routines that people go through. She mentally noted these things and hoped that somewhere in the future she can also do some tasks like those herself. Throughout her life, gardening, cleaning, cooking, and any other type of labor was done by someone else. She absolutely hated it. Even when she was a child she wanted to do it herself. Ever since she was a child she wanted to be independent and do everything herself. Cleaning her room, making her own food, everything. She enjoyed the sense of accomplishment she got once she was finished and had made it a habit to help around the mansion while her father was either out doing business or locking himself in his office.

The thought of no one doing chores for her made her feel ecstatic. Perhaps, instead of using the ridiculous amount of money that was put into her bank account she can get a job and provide for herself rather than eating out of the palm of her father's hand. But... How will she get one? Oh boy, she has a lot to learn.

Lucy yelped when her body crashed into another. She gasped when she heard a small groan and saw a small body on the ground, "Oh my God, I am so sorry!" She helped up the stranger, who was a girl rubbing the side of her head. Her yellow bandanna was loose after the tumble, and stray pieces of her blue bangs slipped out of it's clutches.

"No, no, it's my fault. I was reading and coming out of my house at the same time." She said, swiftly fixing her bandanna.

The blonde saw no book in her hands after hearing her statement. She looked down and saw a novel by her feet with a rather simple dark brown cover, the title and author written both in cursive and white. Picking it up, she handed it back to the petite girl with a sheepish smile, "Well then, I guess it's both of our faults. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going either."

She giggled as she took the book, "Thanks." She held her hand out while returning her smile with her own shy one. "I'm Levy. It's nice to meet you."

"Lucy." She shook her hand and her eyes trailed down, "You're going to Fairy Tail High too?"

As if just noticing herself that they both wore identical uniforms, although Levy wore the correct tie and had on regular socks rather than knee-high, she blinked. "Yeah! Are you new? I've never seen you around before."

Lucy bobs her head in confirmation, "It's actually my first time living around here. I use to live somewhere else and had been homeschooled for a while."

"No wonder!" The two of them began walking together like it was the most natural thing in the world, "Why did you suddenly decide to switch in the middle of the year though?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I was unable to because of some... problems. I was actually there during my first year. Anyway, has anything changed? I hope it's as fun as the principle told me it is."

"Well... It's much different now with a new principle, that's for sure." Levy said, "There are a lot of unique students and teachers there. So it can get a bit crazy every now and then."

"That's exactly what Principle Makarov told me! But he mentioned something about fights..." Her eyebrows furrow in worry.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Sometimes things can get a bit too crazy, but everything always turns out fine. That's just how Fairy Tail High is."

"I have a strange feeling that I'm going to end up going nuts because of this school..."

Levy chuckled, "You'll get use to it. Trust me, I thought the same exact thing when I first stepped foot there."

Their short discussion ended upon arriving at the open gates of their school. A bright smile immediately lit up Lucy's face as soon as her eyes landed on the large building and the familiar fountain in front of it that had the statue of the creator of Fairy Tail High. It was strange how much she looked like a child rather than an adult.

She had been given a small tour during the weekend by the principle himself, a very short old man with white hair and a mustache. He was very kind, never losing his patience when she had asked one question after the other when it came to the curriculum. The school building had been entirely rebuilt into something brighter than before. The sheer size of it reminded her of her mansion, but it was much smaller. A large clock ticked on it and instead of the school looming over her in an intimidating way, it felt much more welcoming.

Instead of the grounds being empty the last time she saw it, she saw students scattered around with friends chatting and goofing around. There were surely many more students inside preparing for the school day. The sight of all of these strangers unnerved her, a small part of her wondering if they recognized her and dear God she hoped they didn't. Levy seems to not know which was a huge relief.

"I have to take a trip to the library before classes start. Will you be able to manage finding your classes?" Levy said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Lucy nods, "I have my schedule and had a tour. Thank you for walking with me, Levy-chan."

"It's no problem. I'll see you around!" She waved as she walked away before jogging down the path and to the front doors of the school.

Once she made it inside and was out of sight, Lucy took her time walking around. She never got the chance to look outside of the school grounds, the thought prompting the urge to explore a little more before the bell rang. After another quick glance at the clock she discovered that she had plenty of time to do so. Humming to herself, she wandered off the dirt path and onto the freshly cut grass.

There wasn't much there other than the lack of students and a few trees. It was obvious that people liked to hang around the front of the school rather than over here where it was silent. She would much rather be here than somewhere that's crowded with voices talking over each other. It's also a nice quiet place where she could settle down while reading a book. Maybe she could even eat her lunch out here!

A startled gasp left her when hands grabbed her and pulled her around the corner of the school, taking her completely out of view of any wandering eyes. Alarms blared in her head as soon as it happened before her body immediately responded to the sudden capture. Her elbow jerked back to make contact with her captor's stomach, eliciting a grunt that she quickly identified as a man's before she slammed her foot onto their's. He hissed in pain and his hands ripped off of her.

As soon as he did so, she jumped away and spun around to get a good look of who it was that managed to catch her off guard. Her eyes widen along with her jaw dropping as soon as she did so.

"Holy _fuck_ , that hurt!"

There's only one person she knew that cursed like that. Only one person she knew with long black hair. Only one person she knew with red eyes. Only one person she knew with that many piercings. The only person she knew that wore the same bandanna wrapped around their forehead ever since she had first given it to them for their birthday when they were kids.

"Ga-... Gajeel?..."

He straightens up at the call of his name, releasing his arms from around his stomach. Even though both his stomach and foot were still throbbing in pain, he gave her a strained smirk, "Surprise."

Gajeel expected a lot of things. He expected a hug, hell he _wanted_ a stupid hug from her. He was even expecting some tears from her considering how emotional she got. What he wasn't expecting was for her to jump up and down while squealing incoherently causing him to slap his hands over his ears.

They didn't last long protecting his ear drums considering the fact that the blonde pounced on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist after dropping her bag. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from falling but that was highly unlikely since she was latched onto him like glue.

He grinned along with her as her squeals turned into gleeful laughter. Then it slowly settled back to his usual small smirk when her laughter died down into full out sobs. He stood there, holding her close as she cried into his shoulder and surely soaking his leather jacket. It has been so long for the both of them. Three years. Three years of video chatting, texting, and calling miles away from each other. Three years of not seeing each other in person. It was overwhelming for the both of them to see each other again.

Gajeel, himself, had been particularly nervous of seeing her again. All throughout the train ride back to Magnolia Town from Crocus he was a wreck, wondering if Lucy would be glad to see him or not, which was an idiotic thing to think he now realizes. What he was more worried about was if things were going to stay as they always have been. He still wanted to be with her, hopefully as much as she did with him.

After days of contemplating whether he should tell her that he was coming back to Magnolia, he decided it was best to surprise her. Although it was difficult to keep from saying those simple words or driving down the mansion himself to finally see her again, he managed. He saw her the second she walked through the gates while talking to a short girl with blue hair.

That was when he had gotten the idea to do a sneak attack when she wandered to his direction with curiosity sparkling in her eyes. He hid around the corner, waiting for her to come into his range whilst snickering to himself. Then he struck... And she did too. Unexpectedly. Before he could even spin her around himself so she can see who it was that grabbed her.

How can he possibly forget that scaring her like that only ends in pain?

But it ended well and that's all that mattered. Her reaction was more than he could ever ask for considering Lucy isn't the type to squeal like a crazy fangirl and was usually shy when it came to physical affection. Then when she began to cry, he almost started to cry. It's not everyday that he reunites with his best friend after three years.

Once her sobs stopped, she slipped off of him so that she was standing on the ground but she didn't let go of him, "How?.." She rasped with tears still sliding down her cheeks.

"Old man got transferred back over here. Best part is that if they want him back in Crocus, I'll be eighteen by then 'n be able to afford my own place here in Magnolia."

Lucy gave him a watery smile, "Seriously? So you're staying for good now? No more moving to a city far away from here?"

"Yep. And if that ever happens, don't you dare try to buy me a place."

She winced at the command, vaguely remembering the time when she asked her father to help him and his father stay here in Magnolia. She had went back to them in tears when he refused, then got an even bigger scolding from Gajeel's dad. That was when she accepted that there was nothing she can do. She was still a kid and shouldn't get involved in that type of business even when her intentions meant good. "...Fine." She muttered.

"Now, are ya done crying?" He wiped away her tears with his thumb, sweatdropping when her bottom lip only quivered more and even more tears poured out of her eyes. "I guess not..."

"I missed you so much." She buried her face into his chest, ignoring what he said in favor of relishing the warmth that she hasn't felt for so long. "I missed you so, _so_ much... It was so hard without you."

Gajeel sighed and he buried his nose in her blonde hair. She still used the same strawberry shampoo like he remembered. "I know, Bunny. Me too." Was his simple reply. He knows that she has trouble making new friends, but how hard was it for her that she completely avoided the subject during their video chats? All he hopes is that this year will be better for her. And he knew that reuniting with him was a great start.

He hissed, cursing as he let go of her to rub where he had been punched in his arm. Lucy waved her fist at him with a vein bulging from her forehead, "Don't scare me like that, jerk! I could have seriously hurt you!"

"Yeah, yeah... _Crazy woman_." He muttered the last part to himself.

" _Haaah?!_ What did you just call me?!"

* * *

 _ **And there we go. They finally get back together again! I was kind of expecting their reunion to be in like the third or fourth chapter, but I thought "Why not?" and did it in this one. What do you think of this so far? I know for sure that this is way better than the pile of shit I wrote 2-3 years ago. Let me know if the characters are OOC. It would be much appreciated so that I can improve my writing.**_

 _ **Anyway, I'm not sure when my next update will be... *sigh* I'm sorry that you all have to wait. Maybe I'll push myself a little and write another chapter sooner than I did with this one.**_


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